1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable long barrel firearm stand adapted for use with a rifle or a shotgun having a barrel and a fixed stock wherein the barrel of the firearm is supported at one end by a conical shaped self-aligning support member and at the other end by a butt end of the fixed stock. This invention is adapted for use in temporarily storing a firearm in a field or target shooting environment wherein the stand is adapted to be inserted into and supported by the earth in a vertical position and the firearm is supported in a substantially vertical position by the portable firearm stand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to provide a foldable and collapsible portable stand to support a firearm in the field. Such portable stands are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,089,423 and 3,952,878. It is also known in the art to provide a secured firearm rack wherein the firearm is locked in place to prevent unauthorized removal of the same from the rack. Typically, such racks include means for restraining the barrel at one end and the butt stock at the other end of a fixed stock. Typical of such patents disclosing such racks are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,018,339 and 3,917,071.
It is also known in the art to provide a gun rack which is adapted to hold a plurality of firearms wherein the firearms are stored in a substantially vertical position. Such gun racks are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,869,729, 1,202,588 and 505,320. A collapsible firearm stand having a telescopic support member which folds into a top member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,581. A portable musket rack and a means for restraining a rifle at the barrel at one end thereof and at the butt section at the other end thereof is likewise shown on U.S. Pat. No. 321,930.
In addition, it is also known in the art to utilize shaped holding devices for a plurality of objects such as, for example, potted plants as shown on U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,976, a receptacle holder for glasses or the like having a fixed insert member cooperating with the orifice of a device such as a glass as shown on U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,149 and a slideable holding device for a milk bottle shown on U.S. Pat. No. 898,222.
The firearm racks and storage devices described above generally provide a means for restraining a firearm such as a rifle. Typically, the firearm is restrained at one end thereof by a holding device which cooperates with the exterior of the barrel such as that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,952,878, 3,917,071, 3,007,581, 2,869,729 and 505,320. In addition, the known devices include a butt support plate which equipment restrains the firearm at the butt end of a fixed stock.
Certain of the known prior art devices include means for restraining the firearm at the barrel end thereof which includes means which cooperate with the opening of the barrel. Examples of such devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,339 which utilizes a shaped pin having a tapered shank for a combination of different sizes of bores of the rifle and U.S. Pat. No. 1,202,588 which discloses a device having an inverted cap into which the muzzle is placed and the muzzle is restrained by a fastener inserted into the opening of the muzzle.
Other variations of a rifle stand include a rifle stand which supports the butt end of the fixed stock of a firearm with a butt plate and a butt support member which engages and supports the firearm at the upper end of a stock which is shown on U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,423.
The firearm stands and racks of the prior art are not satisfactory for providing a rugged, stable and easy to use portable stand for hunting or target shooting in the field. In addition, each of the part devices include a large number of individual components to make the device usable as a portable stand or as a secured rack.
Of the prior art devices, the firearm stands disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,089,423, 3,952,878, 3,007,571 and 2,869,729 include a spike or rod which is adapted to be inserted into the earth for supporting the gun rack. Each of the devices includes a butt plate for cooperating with the butt end of the fixed stock, but utilizes a means which cooperates with the exterior of the barrel and/or the stock for supporting the firearm in an upright position. In such devices, the bore or opening of the muzzle or barrel is exposed such that rain, dirt or other foreign objects could be dropped in the opening thereof.
In addition, in the event of a shotgun having two barrels, none of the prior art devices provide any means for covering a shotgun having two barrels either in a side-by-side arrangement or an over-and-under arrangement.
For the above reasons, the known portable firearm stands are not entirely satisfactory for use in the field for supporting a rifle or a shotgun. The portable long barrel firearm stand of the present invention eliminates certain of the disadvantages of the prior art devices and provides many additional advantages heretofore not available in a single portable long barrel firearm stand adapted for use with a rifle or shotgun, which shotgun may be either a single or double barrel gun.